Chapter 05

It was definitely Kwon Seok-jun.

She could tell even from a distance.

After all, he was the only one who walked with a model-like height and perfectly straight posture.

Just moments ago, the atmosphere had been warm and filled with laughter, but the moment she looked out the window, the air seemed to turn cold.

At that moment, Na Seon-young lightly tapped him on the shoulder and burst into laughter, apparently amused by whatever they were talking about.

They hadn’t known each other for very long, yet their physical contact already seemed quite natural.

When did they get so close?

Minju already knew that Na Seon-young was interested in Kwon Seok-jun.

She hadn’t been able to take her eyes off him from the moment he first appeared.

But what about Kwon Seok-jun?

Was he interested in Na Seon-young as well?

Minju didn’t know exactly what kind of person Na Seon-young was, but it was obvious that she was confident and the type who attracted attention wherever she went.

Her striking features and glamorous aura immediately drew the eyes of both men and women.

At that moment, Kwon Seok-jun turned his head as though he had sensed her gaze.

Their eyes met through the glass window.

His gaze lingered on her for a moment before shifting toward Han Sang-ho, who was sitting across from her.

Then one corner of his mouth tilted upward.

Am I imagining it, or does he look displeased?

“Is there something outside?”

At Sang-ho’s voice, Minju hurriedly turned her head away from the window.

“No, nothing. The weather is just nice.”

Minju answered as casually as she could, but Kwon Seok-jun’s gaze was still lingering on her, and she couldn’t help being conscious of it.

As though trying to avoid his attention, she lifted her cup and took a sip of coffee.

But the coffee had gone lukewarm, leaving nothing but a bitter taste in her mouth.

After their café date, Han Sang-ho and Minju headed toward the common living room of the accommodation.

When they carefully opened the door and entered, the contestants who had gathered there welcomed them.

“Welcome back!”

“How was your first date?”

The contestants who hadn’t been matched during the first-impression vote asked with curious expressions.

With everyone’s attention focused on them, Minju gave an awkward smile and sat beside Baek Seol-hee, who had returned earlier.

Sang-ho answered for her with a friendly smile.

“It was really nice.”

“Must be nice!”

“I’m jealous!”

Since Sang-ho couldn’t stop smiling, traces of envy appeared in the contestants’ eyes.

“Did you have a good date?”

At that moment, Baek Seol-hee, sitting beside her, lowered her voice and asked.

Minju gave a small nod and asked how hers had gone.

Seol-hee pouted.

“Well, mine wasn’t very fun.”

“Why? Did something happen?”

Worried that the person involved might hear her, Minju looked around in surprise before leaning a little closer to Seol-hee.

The two began talking quietly.

Before the date, Seol-hee had been excited about Choi Do-yoon, who had chosen her.

“Well, he barely talked and just drank his drink. He had three cups, too.”

“Maybe he was nervous?”

“I don’t know. Anyway, I was really looking forward to it, so I was disappointed.”

Seol-hee shrugged and added,

“So I’m going to look for another guy.”

“Already? Shouldn’t you talk to him a little more first?”

“I like men who take the lead. I’m not really into shy, awkward men.”

Minju thought Seol-hee was being a little hasty to turn away from him after just one date, but she didn’t add anything.

Just then, the Love Coach appeared in the common living room.

“We need to prepare dinner. Please choose one woman and one man to go out and buy groceries.”

Seol-hee raised her hand.

“But Kwon Seok-jun and Na Seon-young aren’t back yet. Is it okay for us to decide among ourselves?”

“For now, please choose from the people who are here.”

The Love Coach smiled helplessly.

A small murmur immediately spread among the female contestants.

“What? Aren’t those two getting along?”

“Exactly. They’ve been gone for quite a while, but they’re still not back.”

“Even the first-impression couples are already back. Why are the people who weren’t matched taking longer?”

“I know it’s free time, but at this point, isn’t this basically a date?”

Jealousy and dissatisfaction were mixed into the voices of the female contestants who hadn’t been matched into couples.

Listening quietly to their comments, Minju couldn’t help becoming tense.

She knew whether the two of them got along had nothing to do with her, yet for some reason, her chest felt strangely tight.

Following the Love Coach’s suggestion, they decided to choose the people who would buy dinner groceries by drawing lots.

“Then I’ll announce the results.”

The Love Coach pulled two slips of paper from a round container.

“The first grocery-shopping team is… Choi Do-yoon and Baek Seol-hee.”

A light burst of laughter spread through the common living room.

Choi Do-yoon scratched the back of his head shyly, while Baek Seol-hee’s face stiffened slightly, her expression becoming somewhat complicated.

The Love Coach and PD left the common living room after saying they would depart in thirty minutes.

The contestants gathered in a circle in the living room, decided on the dinner menu, and made a shopping list.

Having been up and moving since early morning, Minju suddenly felt exhausted.

Perhaps it was because of the cameras filming her nonstop, or perhaps it was because she had been surrounded by so many people all day.

She felt completely drained.

More than anything, she didn’t want to see Kwon Seok-jun and Na Seon-young return together.

Minju told Seol-hee that she was going to take a short break and quietly stood up.

She could feel Sang-ho’s gaze on her back, but she pretended not to notice and left the common living room.

She walked down the hallway and opened the entrance door.

At that exact moment, Na Seon-young was climbing the stairs.

It seemed her date with Kwon Seok-jun had just ended.

As the image of the two of them walking side by side and looking happy flashed through Minju’s mind, an indescribable emotion suddenly surged inside her.

When she stopped walking, Na Seon-young noticed her a moment later and approached with a smile on her lips.

“Where are you going?”

“I’m tired, so I’m going to rest for a while.”

Minju briefly lowered her head and tried to walk past her, but Na Seon-young stopped her.

“Are you interested in Seok-jun?”

“…Why are you asking?”

“You were staring at us during our date at the café, so I wondered if that was the reason.”

At the unexpected remark, Minju stopped walking.

Na Seon-young slowly brushed back her perfectly arranged hair.

The movement itself was elegant, but the gaze she revealed afterward was cold.

That was when Minju realized it.

She had been so focused on Kwon Seok-jun that she hadn’t noticed Na Seon-young watching her.

If Na Seon-young had felt confident enough to say something like this, there was a chance that other people had noticed it too.

Minju suddenly felt ridiculous and pathetic.

Seo Minju, you proudly said you were going to leave this place as part of a couple just to show him. What are you doing worrying about Kwon Seok-jun?

Get a grip.

Whoever Kwon Seok-jun dates has absolutely nothing to do with you.

The only thing you need to do now is focus on yourself.

Steeling herself, Minju looked directly at Na Seon-young and spoke clearly.

“I’m not interested in Kwon Seok-jun.”

“Then that’s a relief. I’m planning to make things work with Seok-jun.”

Her words were gentle, but there was an unmistakable warning in Seon-young’s eyes.

It was as though she were saying, I’ve already chosen him, so don’t even think about developing feelings for Kwon Seok-jun.

With an expression that seemed relieved to have cleared the air, Na Seon-young disappeared into the resort.

Minju let out a deep breath.

Although she had answered calmly, a strange emptiness and heat lingered in one corner of her heart.

That’s right. I did well. Don’t let your emotions control you.

She tried to reassure herself, but an inexplicable bitterness remained at the edge of her heart for a long time.

That evening, Minju headed toward the parking lot to buy groceries.

Baek Seol-hee had originally been the one assigned to go, but she had come to Minju’s room a little earlier and cautiously asked if Minju could go instead because she wasn’t feeling well.

Minju realized that it was probably just an excuse because Seol-hee didn’t want to go with Do-yoon, but she simply nodded and agreed.

With a relieved expression, Seol-hee smiled and said, “I’ll buy you a cup of coffee later,” before leaving the accommodation.

When Minju arrived at the parking lot, she waited for Do-yoon.

She couldn’t help wondering if he would be disappointed when she showed up instead of Seol-hee.

She felt awkward about what kind of expression she should make when they met, so she lowered her head.

Then she heard footsteps behind her.

She slowly turned toward the approaching presence from the direction of the accommodation.

Unexpectedly, the owner of those footsteps wasn’t Choi Do-yoon.

It was Kwon Seok-jun.

The person I’m waiting for isn’t coming, so why is Kwon Seok-jun here?

Minju froze for a moment at the unexpected encounter.

She had deliberately avoided the common accommodation because she didn’t want to run into him, and yet she hadn’t expected to meet him here of all places.

Since the cameras were filming, she couldn’t simply pretend not to see him.

Minju awkwardly gave him a brief nod in greeting.

Kwon Seok-jun strode toward her with his long legs and stopped in front of her.

He could just walk past me. Why is he stopping…? This is so uncomfortable.

Minju suppressed her urge to turn away and reluctantly looked at him.

“What are you doing here?”

“I’m waiting for someone.”

Minju didn’t want to continue the conversation for long, so she deliberately didn’t mention Choi Do-yoon’s name.

“I see.”

Kwon Seok-jun gave a brief nod, then casually put both hands into his pockets and looked toward the accommodation.

What? Why isn’t he leaving?

Minju stared at him in confusion.